JP Bistro brings refreshing change to hotel buffet concept

JP Bistro brings refreshing change to hotel buffet concept

By John Aglionby

JAKARTA (JP): For years sideboards groaning under mountains of
mouthwatering delicacies have attracted diners in droves to five-
star hotels. And the eat-as-much-as-you-can offer will probably
remain popular for many years to come.

But a subtle wind of change is starting to blow through the
city. The Aryaduta, resembling less of a building site every day,
is refining the buffet concept in its newly opened JP Bistro
restaurant.

There are still tables piled high with food and jack-in-the-
boxes can help themselves as often as their stomachs will allow.
But only to starters and desserts. Main courses have to be
ordered. And at weekends everything is la carte.

This ensures patrons receive at least one entirely fresh
course that has not been lying around for ages being poked at and
hacked to pieces by others.

I, for one, welcome the change. While jumping up and down is
all very well, its attraction is limited and it disrupts
conversation. And a main dish should be just that, namely one
main dish, not a potpourri of itsy-bitsy offerings.

But dessert has always been my favorite course and so the JP
Bistro concept means I can still indulge my sweet tooth at
length.

But while it is one thing to come up with the idea, it is
another to deliver. Fortunately the Aryaduta, also home to the
extremely good Ambiente restaurant, does not disappoint. While
the JP does not yet stand for "just perfect" (it is short for Jl.
Prapatan in Central Jakarta, the road outside) it is already well
on the way to becoming one of the better outlets in town.

From the first bite, I realized I was in for a treat. Going at
the weekend I only had one starter but my dill marinated salmon
on mustard cream and olive cracker was an excellent combination
of flavors and slipped down far too quickly. My friend's pesto
marinated oven-dried tomato on bell-pepper salsa and Mozzarella
cheese was equally delicious. Even though it is not standard
practice here, I have no qualms about swapping mouthfuls of good
food.

While the above appetizers had not been on the menu of bistros
I had sampled in the Loire Valley or Dordogne, the soups -- such
as a Pot au Feu or a mixed bean and vegetable soup with beef
bacon -- and main courses were what I had expected; simple dishes
without the unnecessary frills one tends to get in restaurants in
Jakarta.

I went for a spit roasted marinated rotisserie chicken with
mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables. Yes, it was nursery food
and yes, I could have cooked it at home, but it is always a good
test to see if a restaurant can cook the basic dishes well.

The chicken was plumper than any I had ever seen scampering
around a local kampong and tasted delicious, as did the mashed
potatoes which were creamy and smooth. My friend's oven-roasted
sea bass was equally unpretentious and equally satisfying.

For people who do not want Western food JP Bistro also offers
a selection of simple Indonesian dishes, such as rendang in a
coconut sauce, fried prawns in spicy chili and tomato sauce and
oxtail soup with celery carrots and steamed rice.

When the dessert menu came it became apparent the previous two
courses had been merely a warm-up, a gastronomic overture to the
climax of the meal. It took me longer to decide between the
honey-marinated fresh fruits with frozen banana yogurt, warm
apple strudel with cinnamon ice cream on caramel sauce, mango
pudding with melon pearls in coconut milk and chocolate obsession
than to choose my first two courses.

I eventually settled for the latter, an enormous glass goblet
filled with vanilla, pecan and whiskey and chocolate chip ice
cream with fudge brownies and pears. Definitely not to be
recommended before doing anything more energetic than relaxing by
a swimming pool or in front of a television.

People eating alone or those wanting to watch the cooking can
sit up at a copper-topped bar in front of the kitchen. Newspapers
and magazines are also available.

With the open kitchen dominating the room there are no
intimate nooks or crannies and if one sat with one's back to the
kitchen JP Bistro would not look very different from other
hotels' buffet restaurants. A few more plants and paintings and
better lighting would improve the atmosphere enormously.

The prices, while expensive, are no more prohibitive than in
other five-star hotels. Three courses cost about Rp 55,000
(US$22.50) excluding drinks, tax and service.